JP4743301B2 - Developer container, developing device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer container, a developing device, and an image forming apparatus.

  Some image forming apparatuses develop a latent image formed on a photoreceptor with a developer and transfer the image to a recording medium. As a developing device used in this type of image forming apparatus, for example, a partition that divides the space in the developer container into a plurality of transport spaces is provided, and each transport space is connected by a hole provided in the partition, and each transport is performed. One that stirs while conveying the developer in the space is known. In Patent Document 1, even if the front end of a partition plate provided between two transport spaces is bent substantially perpendicularly to one transport space side and the developing device is tilted when removing jammed paper, A mechanism for preventing the developer from flowing from one conveyance space into the other conveyance space is described.

JP-A-9-197942

  An object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of developer that moves beyond a partition wall provided at a position separating a conveyance space.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the developer container according to claim 1 of the present application is provided with a partition wall provided at a position separating the first transport space and the second transport space, each of which is a space in which the developer is transported. And a container main body having an open opening, and is engaged with the container main body to close the opening , and when removed from the opening, is moved so as to release the engagement with the container main body. A lid that is in contact with the partition in a state where the partition is bent when the opening is closed, and the first transport space and the second transport space are separated by a portion in contact with the partition. e Bei a lid, the direction of the force applied to the lid from the partition deflected when blocking the said opening, when the lid is removed from the opening, and the lid and the container body When the mesh is released, the lid moves. Characterized as having a direction opposite the direction component to be allowed.

The developer container according to claim 2 of the present application is the developer container according to claim 1, wherein the lid has a concave portion that is in contact with the leading end of the partition wall, and the concave portion is formed on the partition wall. It has the surface which makes the said partition bend largely so that a front-end | tip is inserted deeply.

The developer container according to claim 3 of the present application is the developer container according to claim 1, wherein the lid has a concave portion that is in contact with the leading end of the partition wall, and the concave portion includes the partition wall. The surface is inclined with respect to the insertion direction, and has a surface in contact with the partition in a state where the partition is bent when the opening is closed.

Further, the developer container according to claim 4 of the present application is the developer container according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the normal vector extending from the surface toward the container body has the lid outside the opening. is the time, characterized by having a direction component towards the direction that is the lid is moved when removing the engagement between the lid and the container body.

Further, a developing device according to claim 5 of the present application includes the developer container described above, and a transport member that transports the developer in each of the first transport space and the second transport space provided in the developer container, Development that develops by supplying the developer supplied from the facing conveyance space facing either the first conveyance space or the second conveyance space to a latent image holding body that holds the latent image. And a member.

An image forming apparatus according to claim 6 of the present application includes a latent image holding member that holds a latent image, a charging unit that charges the latent image holding member, and the latent image holding member that is charged by the charging unit. And the above-mentioned developing device for supplying the developer for development, and image forming means for transferring the developer supplied by the developing device to a recording medium to form an image. To do.

According to the developer container according to claim 1 of the present invention, Ki de is possible to reduce the amount of the developer moves beyond the partition wall provided in a position that separates the transport space, also closes the opening The lid is hard to come off from the opening.
According to the developer container of the second aspect of the present invention, the size of the recess and the partition wall and the size of the partition wall and the partition wall are larger than the case where the recess is not provided with a surface that greatly deflects the partition wall as the end of the partition wall is Large manufacturing tolerances on position can be taken.
According to the developer container of the third aspect of the present invention, the partition wall can be bent with a deflection amount corresponding to the inclination angle.
According to the developer container of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the lid closing the opening is unlikely to come off from the opening.
According to the developing device according to claim 5 of the present invention, Ki de is possible to reduce the amount of the developer moves beyond the partition wall provided in a position that separates the transport space, also closes the opening lid Is hard to come off from the opening .
According to the image forming apparatus according to claim 6 of the present invention, Ki de is possible to reduce the amount of the developer moves beyond the partition wall provided in a position that separates the transport space, also closes the opening The lid is hard to come off from the opening .

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of one of image forming units included in the image forming apparatus. It is a figure when a container main body is seen from the arrow III direction in FIG. It is a figure which shows the process of closing the opening part of a container main body with a lid | cover. It is sectional drawing which looked at the container main body and the lid | cover from the arrow VV direction in FIG. It is the figure which expanded the part which the contact surface of the recessed part contacted the front-end | tip of the partition of a container main body. It is a figure which shows the rotation direction of the stirring member in stirring space. It is a figure for demonstrating the developing device in a modification. It is the figure which expanded the part which the contact surface of a lid | cover contacts the front-end | tip of the partition of a container main body. It is a figure which shows the rotation direction of the supply member in supply space. It is the structure of the conventional developing device. It is the figure which expanded the circumference | surroundings of the front-end | tip of the partition in the conventional developing device. It is a figure which shows an example of the contact surface in a modification.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below.
1. Overall Configuration of Image Forming Apparatus FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 1 includes a recording medium supply unit 12, image forming units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K, a transfer unit 14, a fixing unit 16, a recording medium discharge unit 17, and a control. Part 80. The recording medium supply unit 12, the image forming units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K, the transfer unit 14, the fixing unit 16, and the recording medium discharge unit 17 are controlled by the control unit 80. Note that the symbols Y, M, C, and K indicate configurations corresponding to yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners, respectively.

  The recording medium supply unit 12 accommodates a sheet P serving as a recording medium that has been cut to a predetermined size. The sheets P stored in the recording medium supply unit 12 are taken out one by one in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 80, and are conveyed to the transfer unit 14 via the sheet conveyance path. The recording medium is not limited to paper, and may be a resin sheet, for example.

  The image forming units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K respectively form images corresponding to the image data of the respective colors using the corresponding color toners, and transfer these images onto the intermediate transfer belt 41 of the transfer unit 14 in an overlapping manner. This image data may be generated by reading an original image by an image reading device which is an example of the external device 2, or based on data transmitted from a computer device which is an example of the external device 2. May be generated. Each of the image forming units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K differs only in the toner used, and there is no significant difference in the configuration. Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to particularly distinguish each of the image forming units 13Y, 13M, 13C, and 13K, the alphabet at the end of the code indicating the toner color is omitted and referred to as “image forming unit 13”.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of one of the image forming units 13 provided in the image forming apparatus 1 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the image forming unit 13 includes a photosensitive drum 31, which is an example of a latent image holder, a charger 32, an exposure device 33, a developing device 34, a primary transfer roll 35, and a drum cleaner. 36. The photoconductive drum 31 is an example of an image holding body that holds an image, and includes a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer, and is rotated in a direction of an arrow D2 in the drawing by a driving unit (not shown). The charger 32 charges the surface of the photosensitive drum 31. The exposure device 33 includes a laser emission source, a polygon mirror, and the like (both not shown), and irradiates laser light corresponding to image data toward the photosensitive drum 31 after being charged by the charger 32. And exposure.

  The developing device 34 includes a toner in one of colors Y, M, C, and K, and ferrite powder in a space in a developer container formed by a container body 341 and a lid 342 formed of a plastic synthetic resin material or the like. A two-component developer containing a magnetic carrier such as When a developing roll 341g (described later) provided in the developing device 34 approaches the surface of the photosensitive drum 31, the toner adheres to a portion exposed by the exposure device 33 on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31, that is, an electrostatic latent image. As a result, an image is formed on the photosensitive drum 31. The detailed configuration of the developing device 34 will be described later.

  The primary transfer roll 35 generates a predetermined potential difference at a position where the intermediate transfer belt 41 of the transfer unit 14 faces the photosensitive drum 31, and transfers an image to the intermediate transfer belt 41 by this potential difference. The drum cleaner 36 removes untransferred toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 31 after image transfer, and discharges the surface of the photosensitive drum 31.

  Returning again to the description of FIG. The transfer unit 14 includes an intermediate transfer belt 41, a secondary transfer roll 42, a belt transport roll 43, and a backup roll 44, and a transfer unit that transfers the image formed by the image forming unit 13 to the paper P. It is. The intermediate transfer belt 41 is an endless belt member, and the belt conveyance roll 43 and the backup roll 44 stretch the intermediate transfer belt 41. At least one of the belt conveyance roll 43 and the backup roll 44 is provided with a drive unit (not shown), and moves the intermediate transfer belt 41 in the direction of arrow D1 in the drawing. Note that the belt conveyance roll 43 or the backup roll 44 that does not have a driving unit rotates following the movement of the intermediate transfer belt 41. As the intermediate transfer belt 41 moves and rotates in the direction of arrow D1 in the drawing, the image transferred by the transfer unit 14 is moved to a region where the secondary transfer roll 42 and the backup roll 44 are in contact with each other.

The secondary transfer roll 42 transfers the image on the intermediate transfer belt 41 onto the paper P conveyed from the recording medium supply unit 12 by a potential difference with the intermediate transfer belt 41. The belt cleaner 49 removes untransferred toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 41. Then, the transfer unit 14 conveys the paper P on which the image is transferred to the fixing unit 16. The fixing unit 16 includes a heating roll and a support roll, and fixes the image transferred onto the paper P to the paper P by heating and pressurization using these. The recording medium discharge unit 17 discharges the paper P that has undergone the fixing process by the fixing unit 16 to a paper storage place provided in the upper part of the image forming apparatus 1.
The image forming unit 13 and the transfer unit 14 are examples of image forming means.

2. Configuration of developing unit of image forming unit 2-1. Internal Configuration of Container Body FIG. 3 is a plan view when the container body 341 is viewed from the direction of arrow III in FIG. The opening 341k of the container main body 341 shown in the figure is closed by a lid 342, but this lid is not shown in FIG. Therefore, in FIG. 3, the inside of the container main body 341 can be seen from the opening 341k.
The container main body 341 has a longitudinal direction in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 31. The container main body 341 is provided with a partition wall 341b that stands up from the bottom surface in a direction approaching the lid 342. The bottom surface here means a surface facing the lid 342 when the opening 341k is closed by the lid 342. The internal space of the container body 341 is formed by the partition 341b in the first conveyance. It is divided into two transport spaces, a space and a second transport space. Among these, the conveyance space closer to the developing roll is called a supply space, and the conveyance space far from the developing roll is called a stirring space. The supply space is provided with a supply member 341f which is a conveyance member provided with blades spirally around an axis, and the stirring space is similarly provided with a conveyance member provided with blades spirally around an axis. A stirring member 341e is provided. In the partition wall 341b, holes 341m and 341n are provided at positions corresponding to both ends of the supply member 341f and the stirring member 341e. The supply space and the stirring space are connected by the holes 341m and 341n.

  For example, when a developer is supplied from a toner container called a toner cartridge to the developing device 34, the developer is first transported from the left end portion of the container main body 341 shown in FIG. 3 to the stirring space along the arrow D30 direction. Is done. This developer is transported in the direction of arrow D31 as the stirring member 341e rotates, and further transported to the position of the inner wall 341h at the end of the stirring space. When the developer hits the inner wall 341h, the developer moves through the hole 341m provided in the partition wall 341b in the direction of the arrow D32, which is the direction toward the supply space. The developer is transported in the direction of arrow D33, which is the opposite direction to the direction of arrow D31, with the rotation of the supply member 341f. Part of the developer conveyed by the supply member 341f is supplied to the developing roll 341g, and the remaining is conveyed to the position of the inner wall 341i. Then, the developer hitting the inner wall 341i moves through the hole 341n provided in the partition wall 341b in the direction of arrow D34, which is the direction toward the stirring space. Then, the developer that has moved in the direction of the arrow D34 is conveyed again in the direction of the arrow D31 by the stirring member 341e together with the developer newly supplied from the outside to the developing device 34 along the direction of the arrow D30. As described above, a transport path expressed in the direction of D31 → D32 → D33 → D34 → D31 is formed inside the container body 341, and the developer is agitated in the process of circulating through the transport path.

2-2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view seen from the direction of arrows V-V in FIG. 3 and shows the process of closing the opening 341k of the container body 341 with the lid 342. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the container main body 341 and the lid 342 fixed to the container main body 341 from the direction of arrows V-V in FIG. Hereinafter, the relationship between the container main body 341 and the lid 342 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

  The lid 342 has a longitudinal direction similar to the container main body 341, and a projection 342 a is provided at an end corresponding to one of the long sides, and an end corresponding to the other of the long sides. Is provided with a hook-shaped portion 342c bent in a hook shape. In addition, a recess 342b is provided on the surface of the lid 342 facing the container body 341. 4 and 5 show only a part of the cross section of the lid 342, but the concave portion 342 b is provided continuously in the longitudinal direction of the lid 342. On the other hand, the protrusion 342a and the hook-shaped part 342c may be provided with one protrusion 342a and one hook-shaped part 342c continuous in the longitudinal direction of the lid 342, or may protrude along the longitudinal direction of the lid 342. A plurality of portions 342a and hook-shaped portions 342c may be provided. The recess 342b is a portion into which the tip of the partition wall 341b of the container body 341 is inserted when closing the opening 341k. Therefore, the width of the recess 342b in the short direction is larger than the thickness of the tip of the partition wall 341b. The recess 342b has a contact surface S that is a flat surface inclined at a constant angle with respect to the direction in which the partition wall 341b is inserted. The contact surface S is in contact with the partition wall 341b in a state where the partition wall 341b is bent when the lid 342 closes the opening 341k.

  A concave portion 341 a is provided at an end corresponding to one of the long sides of the container main body 341. The recess 341a is provided at a position corresponding to the projection 342a of the lid 342, and the projection 342a is inserted when the lid 342 closes the opening 341k. In addition, an end corresponding to the other of the long sides of the container body 341 is provided with a hook receiving part 341c having a shape that meshes with the hook-like part 342c of the cover 342 when the cover 342 closes the opening 341k. .

A developer container of the developing device 34 is configured by combining the container main body 341 and the lid 342 as follows.
First, the user brings the end of the lid 342 provided with the projection 342a closer to the end of the container body 341 provided with the recess 341a, and moves the projection 342a of the lid 342, Insert into the recess 341 a of the container body 341. At this time, the end of the lid 342 provided with the protrusion 342a and the end of the container main body 341 provided with the recess 341a come into contact with each other, and the user uses this contact portion as a fulcrum. The lid 342 is rotated to bring the hook-shaped portion 342c of the lid 342 closer to the hook receiving portion 341c of the container main body 341 along the direction of the arrow D42. When the user presses the lid 342 toward the container body 341 after the hook-shaped portion 342c and the hook receiving portion 341c come into contact with each other, the hook-shaped portion 342c and the hook receiving portion 341c are engaged with each other, and the lid 342 and the container The main body 341 is fixed to each other. At this time, the contact surface S provided in the concave portion 342b of the lid 342 contacts the partition wall 341b of the container body 341, and the partition wall 341b is pushed from the contact surface S of the concave portion 342b and is bent. In this way, the opening 341k of the container body 341 is closed by the lid 342.

3. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion where the contact surface S of the concave portion 342b is in contact with the tip of the partition wall 341b of the container main body 341. When the opening 341k of the container body 341 is closed by the lid 342, the contact surface S of the lid 342 moves in the direction of arrow D61 as shown in FIG. That is, the insertion direction of the partition wall 341b with respect to the recess 342b is the direction opposite to the arrow D61, that is, the direction of the arrow D6. As described above, the contact surface S is a flat surface inclined with respect to the direction in which the partition wall 341b is inserted into the recess 342b. Therefore, when the contact surface S comes into contact with, for example, the point P6 at the tip portion of the partition wall 341b, the partition surface 341b A force in a direction to bend in the direction D62 is applied to the partition wall 341b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the space V <b> 6 where a part of the tip of the unbent partition wall 341 b should exist is in a state occupied by the lid 342. Thus, the partition wall 341b bent in the direction of the arrow D62 pushes back the contact surface S in the direction of the arrow D5b by the elasticity of the material.

As shown in FIG. 5, the force in the direction of arrow D5b is broken down into a force in the direction of arrow D5b-1 and a force in the direction of arrow D5b-2. The end of the lid 342 having the protrusion 342a receives a force in the direction of the arrow D5b-1, hits the bank portion of the recess 341a of the container body 341, and pushes the bank portion in the direction of the arrow D5b-1. On the other hand, as a reaction, the lid 342 is pushed back by the force in the direction of the arrow D5a-1 from the bank portion of the recess 341a. Further, the lid 342 receives a force in the direction of the arrow D5b-2 from the partition wall 341b. Due to the action of the force, the protrusion 342a of the lid 342 is directed from the recess 341a to the arrow D5a- in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow D5b-2. It will be pushed by force in two directions. Further, even in a portion where the hook-shaped portion 342c of the lid 342 and the hook receiving portion 341c of the container body 341 are engaged with each other, the force in the direction of the arrow D5b-1 and the force in the direction of the arrow D5b-2 are firmly engaged with each other. You will receive a force in such a direction.
In the state where the container body 341 is closed with the lid 342, the inclination angle a of the contact surface S with respect to the direction in which the partition wall 341b is inserted into the recess 342b is, for example, 20 °. Moreover, the width | variety b of the direction where the partition 341b is extended among the parts which the contact surface S and the partition 341b contact is 1 mm, for example. And in the state which closed the container main body 341 with the lid | cover 342, the bending amount d of the front-end | tip of the partition 341b is 0.3 mm, for example.

  When removing the lid 342 from the container main body 341, the user first moves the lid 342 in the direction of arrow D5a-1 in FIG. 5 to bend the partition 341b in the direction of arrow D62 shown in FIG. The engagement between the portion 342c and the hook receiving portion 341c is released. When the hook-shaped portion 342c and the hook receiving portion 341c are detached, the lid 342 is removed from the container body 341 by separating the tip of the partition wall 341b from the concave portion 342b of the lid 342. That is, the arrow D5a-1 direction is a direction in which the lid 342 itself is moved when the lid 342 is removed from the opening 341k. In a state where the opening 341k is closed by the lid 342, the lid 342 receives a force in the direction opposite to the arrow D5a-1. That is, the lid 342 receives a force in the direction opposite to the direction in which the lid 342 must move when the lid 342 is removed from the opening 341k. Therefore, compared to the case where the partition wall 341b does not push the contact surface S in the direction of the arrow D5b, the lid 342 is less likely to be detached from the container body 341.

  In this way, the gap between the contact surface S of the recess 342b and the partition wall 341b is narrowed by the action of the force with which the container body 341 and the lid 342 are pressed against each other. Therefore, the amount of developer that moves between the supply space and the stirring space through the gap, that is, beyond the partition wall, is reduced. In addition, since the contact surface S is a flat surface that is inclined with respect to the direction in which the partition 341b is inserted into the recess 342b, the partition 341b is bent more greatly as the tip of the partition 341b is inserted deeper into the recess 342b. Therefore, even when there are some manufacturing errors when manufacturing the container main body 341 and the lid 342, the errors are absorbed by adjusting the depth when the partition 341b is inserted into the recess 342b. Therefore, manufacturing tolerances can be increased.

4). FIG. 11 shows a configuration of a conventional developing device 9. FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of the periphery of the tip of the partition wall 91b in FIG. The developing device 9 is configured by closing the opening of the container body 91 with a lid 92. Since the lid 92 moves in the direction of the arrow D11 shown in FIG. 11 and is fitted into the container main body 91, the partition wall 91b that separates the stirring space and the supply space in the container main body 91 has an area that does not contact the lid 92 or is in contact therewith. However, the lid 92 will not bend. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, a gap is generated between the partition wall 91b and the lid 92, and the developer in the stirring space may move in the direction of arrow D12 as the stirring member rotates. In particular, since the stirring member rotates in the direction of arrow D11e in the figure, the developer scraped up by the rotation of the stirring member from below the stirring space reaches the gap between the partition wall 91b and the lid 92, and this partition wall is May flow over into the supply space.

On the other hand, in the developer 34 described above, the behavior of the developer is as follows.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the rotation direction of the stirring member 341e in the stirring space. As shown in the figure, the stirring member 341e rotates in the direction of arrow D7. For this reason, the developer in the stirring space is conveyed in the direction toward the back in FIG. 7, that is, in the direction of the arrow D31 in FIG. 3, by the winding direction of the spiral blade provided in the stirring member 341e. At this time, a part of the developer is scraped up in the direction of the arrow D6 along with the rotation in the direction of the arrow D7, and moves toward the tip of the partition wall 341b.
Here, as shown in FIG. 6, since the partition wall 341b and the contact surface S are in contact with each other at the point P6 and pressed in opposite directions, the gap between the two is smaller than that of the conventional developer and moved in the arrow D6 direction. Is difficult to move between the partition wall 341b and the contact surface S and into the supply space.

5. Modification The above is the description of the embodiment, but the contents of this embodiment can be modified as follows. Further, the following modifications may be combined.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, first, the protrusion 342a of the lid 342 is applied to the recess 341a of the container main body 341, and then the hook-shaped portion 342c of the lid 342 meshes with the hook receiving portion 341c of the container main body 341. However, this order may be reversed.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the developing device 34 in this modification. In this modification, first, the hook-shaped portion 342c of the lid 342 is applied to the hook receiving portion 341c provided at the end portion on the developing roll 341g side of the opening of the container main body 341. Then, the lid 342 is rotated with the applied portion as a fulcrum, and a protrusion 342a on the opposite side of the bowl-shaped portion 342c is provided at the end of the container body 341 on the stirring member 341e side. It meshes with the recess 341a. Thereby, the opening part of the container main body 341 is closed by the meshed lid 342.

  FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a part where the contact surface S of the lid 342 contacts the tip of the partition wall 341b of the container body 341 in FIG. When the container main body 341 is closed by the lid 342, the contact surface S of the lid 342 moves in the direction of arrow D91 as shown in FIG. That is, the insertion direction of the partition wall 341b with respect to the recess 342b is the direction opposite to the arrow D91, that is, the direction of the arrow D9. As described above, since the contact surface S is a flat surface that is inclined with respect to the direction in which the partition wall 341b is inserted into the recess 342b, the space V9 where a part of the tip of the partition wall 341b should exist is a lid. 342 is occupied. Thus, the partition wall 341b bent in the arrow D92 direction pushes back the contact surface S in the arrow D8b direction by the elasticity of the material.

As shown in FIG. 8, the arrow D8b direction, which is the direction in which the bent partition wall 341b pushes the contact surface S, is the arrow D8c, which is the direction in which the hook receiving portion 341c of the container body 341 pushes the hook-like portion 342c of the lid 342. It has a direction component opposite to the direction. Therefore, these forces are balanced, and the lid 342 is fixed to the opening of the container body 341.
When removing the lid 342 from the container body 341, the user first moves the lid 342 in the direction of arrow D8c in FIG. 8 to further flex the partition 341b in the direction of arrow D92 shown in FIG. And the recess 341a are disengaged. When the protrusion 342a and the recess 341a are detached, the lid 342 is removed from the container body 341 by separating the tip of the partition wall 341b from the recess 342b of the lid 342. That is, the arrow D8c direction is a direction in which the lid 342 is moved when the lid 342 is removed from the opening.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the rotation direction of the supply member 341f in the supply space. As shown in the figure, the supply member 341f rotates in the arrow D10 direction. Therefore, the developer in the supply space is conveyed in the direction toward the front in FIG. 7, that is, in the direction of arrow D33 in FIG. 3, depending on the winding direction of the spiral blade provided in the supply member 341f. At this time, a part of the developer is scraped up in the direction of the arrow D9 along with the rotation in the direction of the arrow D10 and moves toward the tip of the partition wall 341b.
Here, as shown in FIG. 9, the partition wall 341b and the contact surface S are in contact with each other at the point P9 and are pushed in opposite directions, so that the gap between the two becomes narrow. Therefore, the amount of developer that moves between the supply space and the stirring space through the gap, that is, beyond the partition wall, is reduced. In addition, since the contact surface S is a flat surface that is inclined with respect to the direction in which the partition 341b is inserted into the recess 342b, the partition 341b is bent more greatly as the tip of the partition 341b is inserted deeper into the recess 342b. Therefore, even when there are some manufacturing errors when manufacturing the container main body 341 and the lid 342, the errors are absorbed by adjusting the depth when the partition 341b is inserted into the recess 342b. Therefore, manufacturing tolerances can be increased.

(2) The rotation direction of the stirring member 341e and the supply member 341f is not limited to the above direction. In this case, the developer may move to the region R6 shown in FIG. 6 and the region R9 shown in FIG. 9, but the former is at point P6 and the latter is at point P9. Since the contact is received in the opposite direction, the amount of the developer that moves between the supply space and the stirring space through the gap between the partition wall 341b and the contact surface S, that is, beyond the partition wall, is reduced.

(3) In the embodiment described above, the contact surface S is a flat surface that is inclined with respect to the direction in which the partition wall 341b is inserted into the concave portion 342b, but the contact surface S may not be a flat surface. For example, the surface in contact with the partition wall 341b may be a convex curved surface.
Further, the inclination angle between the contact surface S and the direction in which the partition wall 341b is inserted may be 0 °. For example, the contact surface S may have a configuration in which a plurality of surfaces having an inclination angle of 0 ° with respect to the direction in which the partition wall 341b is inserted are connected in a stepped manner. FIG. 13A is a diagram illustrating an example of the contact surface S in this modification. In this case, as shown in FIG. 13B, a curved surface 341r is provided on the end of the partition wall 341b on the side contacting the contact surface S, and this curved surface is closed when the lid 342 closes the opening of the container body 341. 341r may be moved along the contact surface S configured like a step.
In other words, the contact surface S may not be inclined with respect to the direction in which the partition wall 341b is inserted into the recess 342b. In short, the contact surface S may be in any shape as long as the container body 341 is closed by the lid 342 and the contact surface S comes into contact with the partition wall 341b and bends it.

(4) In the embodiment described above, the direction in which the deflected partition wall 341b pushes the contact surface S has a direction component opposite to the direction in which the lid 342 is moved when the lid 342 is removed from the container body 341. However, it is not limited to this. For example, when the lid 342 is removed from the container main body 341 by sliding the lid 342 with respect to the container main body 341 in the direction of the arrow D31 or the arrow D33 in FIG. 3, the bent partition wall 341b is bent. The direction of pressing the contact surface S does not have a direction component opposite to the direction in which the lid 342 is moved when it is removed from the container body 341. Even in this case, the direction in which the deflected partition wall 341b pushes the contact surface S has a component opposite to the direction of the force received by the lid 342 from the container body 341. 341 is fixed to the opening.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, in the state where the container main body 341 is closed by the lid 342, the inclination angle a of the contact surface S with respect to the extending direction of the partition wall 341b before being bent is 20 °. Is not limited to this. In short, as long as the normal vector extending from the contact surface S toward the container body 341 has a directional component that is moved when the lid 342 is removed, the inclination angle of the contact surface S can be any angle. It may be.

(6) The protrusion 342a is not limited to the recess, but may be a through-hole penetrating the casing 341d. Further, for example, a protrusion may be provided on the casing 341d, and the protrusion may be fitted into a recess or a through hole provided on the lid 342. That is, the structure for fixing the lid 342 to the container body 341 is not limited to the content of the embodiment.
In the above-described embodiment, the electrophotographic printer (image forming apparatus) including the intermediate transfer belt and a so-called tandem engine in which the image forming engines are arranged in series has been described as an example. It is not limited to this aspect.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 12 ... Recording medium supply part, 13, 13Y, 13M, 13C, 13K ... Image forming unit, 14 ... Transfer unit, 16 ... Fixing part, 17 ... Recording medium discharge part, 2 ... External apparatus, 31 ... photosensitive drum, 32 ... charger, 33 ... exposure device, 34 ... developing device, 341 ... container body, 341a ... concave material, 341b ... partition wall, 341c ... receptor, 341d ... casing, 341e ... stirring member, 341f ... Supply member, 341g ... developing roll, 341h ... inner wall, 341i ... inner wall, 341k ... opening, 341m, 341n ... hole, 341r ... curved surface, 342 ... lid, 342a ... projection, 342b ... recess, 342c ... , 35 ... primary transfer roll, 36 ... drum cleaner, 41 ... intermediate transfer belt, 42 ... secondary transfer roll, 43 ... belt conveying roll, 44 ... back up Roll, 49 ... belt cleaner, 80 ... control unit, 9 ... developing device, 91 ... container main body, 91b ... partition wall, 92 ... lid.

Claims (6)

A container body having a partition wall provided at a position separating the first transport space and the second transport space, each of which is a space where developer is transported, and an open opening;
A lid that is engaged with the container body to close the opening , and is moved so as to release the engagement with the container body when removed from the opening , and when the opening is closed wherein in a state where the deflection of the partition wall against the said partition wall, Bei example a lid by a portion in contact with the partition wall separating the second conveying space and the first conveying space,
The direction of the force applied to the lid from the partition that is bent when the opening is closed releases the engagement between the lid and the container body when the lid is removed from the opening. A developer container having a component in a direction opposite to the direction in which the lid is sometimes moved . The lid has a recess that is in contact with the tip of the partition wall,
The developer container according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion has a surface that greatly deflects the partition as the tip of the partition is inserted deeper. The lid has a recess that is in contact with the tip of the partition wall,
The concave portion is a surface that is inclined with respect to a direction in which the partition wall is inserted, and has a surface that is in contact with the partition wall in a state where the partition wall is bent when the opening is closed. The developer container according to claim 1. Normal vector extending toward the container body from the surface, when the lid is removed from the opening, the lid towards the direction to be moved when removing the engagement between the lid and the container body The developer container according to claim 2 , wherein the developer container has a directional component. A developer container according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A transport member for transporting the developer in each of the first transport space and the second transport space provided in the developer container;
Development that develops by supplying the developer supplied from the facing conveyance space facing either the first conveyance space or the second conveyance space to a latent image holding body that holds the latent image. And a developing device. A latent image holding body for holding the latent image;
Charging means for charging the latent image carrier;
The developing device according to claim 5 , wherein development is performed by supplying the developer to the latent image holding body charged by the charging unit.
An image forming apparatus comprising: an image forming unit configured to transfer the developer supplied from the developing device to a recording medium to form an image.

Images